xv, 157 pages : 18 cm

Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake, or how to generate battery power with simple household items, or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things and more than 40 other handy gadgets. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun. Amaze your friends by: transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations; creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards; making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry; thwarting intruders with a single rubber band. By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you'll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes.--From publisher description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-156)

pt. 1 : Sneaky tricks and gimmicks. Fear of small sums : detect counterfeit bills ; Slushy fun : make gel packs for swollen muscles ; Got plastic? Turn milk into sneaky plastic ; Need glue? Create sneaky glue from milk ; Spin thrift : make a videotape rewinder ; Getting wired : sneaky wire sources are everywhere ; More power to you : make batteries from everyday things ; You light up my life : construct electronic greeting cards -- pt. 2: Sneaky gadgets and gizmos. "Superman and Green Lantern ain't got nothin' on me" : make a power ring ; "Invite the power!" : make power-ring-activated gadgets ; Gifts of a feather you make together : build togetherness gifts ; Listen impossible : make recordings only you can hear ; For your ears only : use a tape recorder as a sound amplifier ; Give a shout-out : make a sneaky megaphone or PA ; Secret agent : Mr. Wireless has countless uses ; Miniaturizing Mr. Wireless : use him in remote places ; Got a toy car? Make a power room door opener ; Irrational public radio : put it together from scratch ; Con air : convert your radio into an aircraft broadcast receiver -- pt. 3: Security gadgets and gizmos. Sneaky ways to thwart break-ins : protect your fortress from a man of steal ; Foam alone : make a sneaky fire extinguisher ; Gain sneaky see-behind vision ; Industrious light magic : make a sneaky light in a pinch ; H₂O no! : make a sneaky flood alarm ; Sticky fingers? : keep watch with an internal sneak detector ; Thwart thieves with the external sneak detector ; Thug shot : capture break-ins on film ; Hide and sneak : secure valuables in everyday things ; Power of the press : use ordinary objects as sneaky weapons -- pt. 4: Sneaky survival techniques. Sneaky emergency flotation devices ; Science friction : six fire-making methods ; Rain check : two water-gathering techniques ; Coming extractions : get drinking water from plants ; Lens crafter : build a makeshift telescope ; Smoke and mirrors : sneaky code signaling ; Look on the bright side : make sneaky snow glasses ; Sneaky snowshoes : walk on top of the snow ; Coldfinger : where there's a chill, there's a way ; Lost in space? : craft a compass ; Road scholar : down-to-earth direction finding ; Harm and hammer : devise makeshift weapons and tools ; Pocket protectors : sneaky tools and survival kits

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